Where does the time go...it's mid-August already??? Good lord, it really does fly when you're having fun! So, let me catch you up on the fun we've been having this summer (not in the order that we've been having it, btw).
We helped Auntie Mic celebrate her 30th birthday! She'll never look a day over 29 and I have a feeling she's going to really enjoy this decade...
We introduced the IrishKids and the rest of the gang to their cousins from the East Coast, Andin, Peyton, and Connor...needless to say lasting friendships were born.
Took advantage of the annual family reunion to catch up with my girl, Kylie! Good times - as always when Kylie is involved! Isn't she the sweetest Auntie to her little Peyton?
Enjoyed catchin' up with and introducing Maggie to her Nana B, Auntie Nisey, Fiona, Mark, and Sinead. It was good to have the family here during the summer. Thank you Mother Nature for the beautiful weather. Here's Alan and his sisters hanging out for a concert in the park.
We had the opportunity to stay local while the gang visited from Ireland. A concert in the park one night, the Caribbean block party on another. We told our visiting relatives that it was all orchestrated on their behalf. The children weren't going to miss a minute of the fun.
You can't beat the fun of the neighborhood block party...drinking (legally) on the street with your family and friends...it's no problem that they don't live in the neighborhood! And I'd say that my neighbors were ready for the relatives to go back to Ireland...
Of course the children were excited beyond words to see their Nana B. They know a visit from Nana B means lots of sweets, hugs, kisses, treats, laughs, and more sweets! Apparently they could hardly wait to get into her bags!
Alan's cousin, Mark made his first trip overseas. He was a big hit with the children...they're still asking when Mark Bell is coming back to visit them again!
And before the Irish relatives visited - we got A LOT done around the house! All the little things that we kept meaning to get done...finally did get done. Visitors are the best incentive! Fionn enjoyed watching us work.
Evan celebrated his 4th birthday with a party at our local pool. The IrishKids had a blast splashing with their cousins and showing off their water skills.
And Maggie had her first major celebration...her Christening. A very intimate affair on July 26 at St. George. We had the whole church to ourselves and Maggie did wonderfully...only crying once...and not even when the holy water was poured on her head. Her godparents, Uncle Jack and Auntie Meier did a great job too!
Okay, after giving you the synopsis of events in the last few weeks...I guess I can understand how quickly the time has gone. And we've enjoyed every minute of it!!
As many of you know, Alan's new job takes him away from his family pretty often. But it's a great excuse to take roadtrips and have great adventures! Kathleen and I decided at 9:00 pm on Sunday night that we would be leaving in the morning to go see Alan. I fired off a quick round of text messages and phone calls to those invited to Kit's birthday party and told them it had been rescheduled so the birthday girl could spend her day with her daddy.
And what a day she had! In true birthday style, she reminded us ALL DAY LONG that she was the birthday girl (sound familiar anyone?). We let Alan have a short rest after coming home from work while Kathleen and I packed a picnic lunch and the children before heading for the beach.
Kit and Fionn have both morphed into water babies this summer, so the beach and splashing in the lake was the perfect activity. After our picnic lunch, we sang 'Happy Birthday' over cupcakes that Kit picked out herself and watched as the birthday girl and her brother acted silly and enjoyed having their father all to themselves for the day! Kathleen and I were cast aside for the most part.
Hard to believe that my little Kitzer is four years old, most days. She'll be starting pre-school in just a couple weeks. She's grown into a spunky, independent, bossy, loving, funny, smart little girl and I'm so proud of her (even when she's making me pull my hair out)! Happy Birthday Kit! I hope when you're 18 you'll be able to remember how special your 4th birthday was.
Watching Kit with her daddy had me smiling and counting my blessings for the amazing man I married and the wonderful father he is to our three children. He may not see them as often as some....but he makes every minute count when he does! And I know that the best birthday gift we could have given Kit (and her brother and sister) was time with him.
